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breaking news

Florida Marlins Talking Points: Is this a playoff team?

Happy Spring, everyone. Three questions to ponder as pitchers and catchers prepare to hold their first official workouts on Saturday:

Has the front office done enough to justify its post-season expectations?

When the Marlins this winter brought back the nucleus of the 2009 team, club president David Samson made one thing clear: the front office expects the 2010 Marlins to make the playoffs. But Samson and Co. didn’t add a veteran starting pitcher or key free agent to strengthen a team that missed the playoffs by seven games. Sure, the pressure is on manager Fredi Gonzalez, but it could be felt in the front office, too.What if Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez aren’t ready for prime time?

The Marlins are counting on one of them to win the first base job, even though Morrison hasn’t appeared in a major-league game and Sanchez has played just 26. Sanchez had this same chance last spring and didn’t win the job. If he and Morrison aren’t ready, who’s on first? If the answer is Jorge Cantu, then who’s on third?

Is the starting rotation really all that formidable?

Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco are solid one-two starters. After that, Chris Volstad, Andrew Miller and Anibal Sanchez all need to progress after disappointing 2009 seasons. Key stat: Marlins starters posted a collective 4.57 ERA last year, 10th in the NL. Is asking for significant progress from all five of those guys asking way too much?